Motor-vehicle.



E. P. COWLES MOTOR VEHICLE. APPLICATION FILED APR. 3. I914.

Patented Dec 28, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET I.

E. P. COWLES.

MOTOR VEHICLE.

APPLICATION HLED APR. 3, 19I4.

Patented Dec. 28, 1915.

4 SHEETSSHEET 2.

E. P. COWLES. moroa VEHICLE.

APPLICATION Fl FD A? 3, 91 I 1,165,496.. L R 4 Patented Dec. 28, 1915.

' 4 SHEETS-SHEET a.

E. P. COWLES. MOTOR VEHICLE:

APPLICATION FILED APR. 3. 1914.

1 Patented Dec 28, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

ienna onion.

EDWARD P. COVVLES, OF SPARTA, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T0 PACKARDMOTOR CAR COMPANY, OF.IDETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN.

MOTOR-VEHICLE.

Patented Dec. as, 1915.

Original application filed September 6, 1901, Serial No. 7 1,497. Divided and application filed August 9,

i 1912, Serial No. 714,297. Divided and this application filed April 3, 1914. Serial No. 829,319.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD P. CowLns, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Sparta, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and With this and other objects in view, one I embodiment of the invention consists in the construction and arrangement of parts described in the following specification, reference being bad to theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a motor vehicle' embodying my invention, the body of the vehicle being removed; Fig.2 isaside elevation of the vehicle shown in Fig. 1,- parts view, of a six wheel vehicle adapted for four wheel-steering.

W hile my invention is applicable to all kinds of motor vehicles and to all kinds of motors, it is specially adapted to that form of driving gear shown and described in my Patent No. 654,716, dated July 31,1900, and

the driving gear outlined in the accompanying drawings is of that form. 1

Referring to the drawings, Figs. 1 andv2,

the vehicle wheels are shown at 8 supporting the axles 81 which are connected by a frame comprising side bars "84 forming reach rods, and crossbars 89. Upon this frame, the motor 14A is supported on springs 146 in any suitable manner. Supported on V the axles and to cross pieces 89 are the differential and variable speed gearing 1510 and 90 for driving theaxle sections 83 (Fig. l) arranged within the tubular axles 81. Suitable driving shafts also connect the motor wlth the gearings 90 and 90'.

Springs 127, two on each axle, support the body frame 112 upon which is mounted the body 118. A steering shaft 57 is suitably supported on the body and is connected to the wheels 8 for turning them simultane= ously so that the revolving planes of the wheels upon the same side of the vehicle will be tangential to the same circle, as will be hereinafter more fully described.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 4, the hub 151 of the wheel 8 consists of a tubula'r body to which the driving axle 83 is attached by a universal joint l52 arranged in the centralplane of revolution of the wheel 1 and permitting the latter while receiving the rotating power of the driving axle 83, to oscillate freely in every direction. The in nor end of the tubular body of the hub 151 engages with a sway block 153 having a horizontal slot 154,. sliding on the axle. This holds the wheel rigidly upright, while allowing it to oscillate to conform to the direction of motion of the vehicle.

It will be understood that each of the four wheels 8 are connected to the axles as. above described, and the sway blocks 153 are simultaneously adjusted horizontally to turn the wheels to steer the vehicle by means of steering rods 155 which are also connected to a centrally located horizontal wrist plate 1 60, Figs. 1 and 3, having a bearing 161 in an extension of the brace 162 of the front driving gear90. Wrist plate 160 is oscillated by a camplate 163, attached to the same shaft with it, which in turn is operated by a double cam 164, having aball and socket bearing in the same support with cam plate 163 and wristplate 160. Double cam 161 is oscillated by an extensible shaft 165, extending up'into' the body, to which it is connected by ball and socket joint. On the upper end of this shaft. are cross arms 166, connected by links 167 shown by broken lines on Fig. 1, to similar cross arms 168 of the universal joint of the steering lever '57 hereinbefore described. As it is necessary to reverse the motion between the steering lever 57 and upright shaft 165 the links 167 are crossed as shown.

The above described arrangement gives to the four wheeled steering mechanism, the advantages of a sensitive and automatically locked movement in all maneuvering required in steering on ordinary straight roads, and accelerated as it approaches extreme. swing right or left. Cam plate 163, double cam 164, and extensible shaft 165, are substantially the same, operate in the same way, and for the same purpose, as cam plate 38, double cam 37, and shaft 49, in connection with a vehicle in which the front wheels only are employed for steering, and

Serial No. 714,297.

There are special advantages in driving all four wheels where soft tires-are used,

as beyond a certain limit the tractive strain described in another divisional application on'such tires, especially pneumatic'tires, is

' 156on a transversely extending rock shaft 157 connected. by parallel links 158] to a' so destructive, that it is impracticable to drive with two wheels for a load of more than four or five persons. Where all four wheels are driven this destructive effect is no greater for a-load of. eight or ten per-7 ftrward or backward, turning either to right or left, it is impossible for the rear wheels to get out of the track of those in second rock'sl aft 159. The latter rock'shaft is oscillated'by the steering shaft '57 through link 158 connected to the steering shaft 1 similarly to the links 167 of the form shown I in Fig. 1.

' having six wheels to eachof which power.

In Figs. 5 and 6 is shown a vehicle frame may be applied andwhich may be guided perfectly by utilizing the steering mechanism illustrated the other figures for the .purpose of deflecting two pairs of Wheels,

preferably the front and rear wheels simultaneously in opposite directions. The front wheels 200 and the rear wheels 201 are steering wheels, and are deflected b the steering lever-in the manner hereinbe ore described to steer the vehicle. The centrally located pair of wheels 202 are not steering wheels and always remain in the same planes relatively to the body. When the steering wheels are deflected to steer the vehicle to the right, said wheels will follow one an other in circles such as that indicated by 203, while the central wheels will turn as on pivots following concentric circles 204. The dotted lines 205 and 206 indicate the circu- Another important advantage in adouble or four wheel drive, where'all; four wheels are steered as shown and spec i' 'fied, is thatthe rear wheels always follow the track of the front wheels. In moving lar paths of the wheels when the steering lever is reversed. In this arrangementit is necessary to pivot the frame at the central axle to provide for unevenness in the road. To this end the reaches 207 and 208 are separately journaled with T-joints on the central axle 209, which permits any individual axle to move vertically and yet maintains the axles rigidly against lateral movement. The springs 210 are preferably mounted upon the Ts 211, which are arranged about two-thirds of the distance from the central axle to the end axles, and carry the cross bars 212. Parts of the steering'mechanism are omitted from these views for the purpose of clearness. 1

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a motor vehicle, the combination of a laterally-rigid frame flexible in its horizontal plane, a pairofindependently pivoted steering wheels at each end of'said frame,"

connections for turning said pairs of wheels simultaneously 'o'steer' the vehicle, and a jpairof wheels a ranged at the center of the -frame,.whose-planes are in a fixed relation tothe fra'mey'," f

2. In a motor vehicle, a frame comprising a front axle; a rear axle, and a central axle,

reaches rigidlyconnected to said front and rear axles and-hingedupon the central axle land adapted to hold all of said axles in substantially parallel relation, in combination with steering wheels'upon the forward and rear axles mechanism for turning said steering wheels simultaneously so that the wheels upon the :same side of the vehicle will'be tangential to the same circle, and wheels upon the central axlewhose planes of rotation are in fixed relation to the frame.

3. In a motor vehicle, frame comprising a forWa1'd-axle,-a rear axle, and a central axle, 'reaches'rigidly connected to said for-- ward and r'earf axles and hinged upon the central axle, in. combination with steering Wheels upon the forward and rear'axles, mechanism for turning said steering wheels simultaneously so that the wheels upon the sameside'of the vehicle will be tangential to the same circle, and wheels upon the central axle whose planes of notation lare in fixed relation to. the frame, a vehicle body and springs for supporting said body arranged upon the f ame at points'approximatelytwo-thirds the distance from;the centeraxle to the front and rear axles" 4. In a motor vehicle, the combination of a pair of axles held against swinging movement, combined steering and driving wheels pivotally connected at the ends of saidaxles, differential gearing carried by each axle and operatively connected with the wheels thereon, a motor on the vehicle supported flexibly relatively to said axles and with its axis arranged longitudinally of the vehicle,

14653.96 3 means for driving said differential gearings on the vehicle supported flexibly relatively 611 the motor including universally joint; to said axles and with its axis arranged 1on-v ed driving shafts. arranged longitudinally gitudinally of the vehicle, means for driv- --of the vehicle and one of which shaftsris' ing said differential gearings fro n the motor 0 mechanism arranged'toturn saidfvvheels on arranged longitudinally of the vehicle and their pivotal connections. 1 I one of'whic'h'sha-fts. is geared to the motor 5. In a motorvehicle, the combination of shaft, and steering mechanism arranged a pair of tuhular axles held against swinging toturn said. combined steering and driving 25 10- movement, combined steering; and drivin wheels on their pivotal connections. I Wheels pivotally connected,'at the. "ends of .-In testimony, whereof I affixmy signature one'jof said axles, 'drivingfl wheelsj mounted in presence-oftwo Witnesses. atthe ends oftheotheroflsaid-axles,diifer- EDWARD P. COWLES ent a-l gearing carried by each ax'lesfand 0 Witnesses; 1 15 erat'ively connected with theQwheeIs there'- A. BQCHENEY,

on by shafts the tubularaxles, a motor S. M. BALLARD.

Copies of this patent may' be bitaihed for five tents each, by addressing the Commissioner of latents} n Washington, D. G. 

